The Diplomat's Daughter
by Unexpectedtale
Summary: Rina just wanted to be the best cook she could be - however her father's addiction to schemes and her own personality cause her no end of trouble. When she finds herself swept along by Wraith Squadron's first foray into battle; Ton Phanan and Garik Loran decide to take her under their wing and 'fix' her. Suddenly Rina wishes for her previous 'restful' life running from gangsters!
1. Nar Shaddaa

Dramatis Personae

**The Noncoms**

Rina Hambly, chef - human female from Contruum  
Caden Hambly, diplomat/hustler - human male from Contruum  
Ro'tahn "Jettison" Fyr, chef - Twi'lek male from Ryloth  
Jacinto "Jayce" Bastra, kitchen porter - human male from Coruscant  
Amaya Sunrider, kitchen porter - human female from Tatooine

**The Wraiths**

Commander Wedge Antilles (Leader, One) - human male from Corellia  
Lieutenant Wes Janson (Eleven) - human male from Tanaab  
Lieutenant Myn Donos (Nine) - human male from Corellia  
Jesmin Ackbar (Two) - Mon Calamari female from Mon Calamari  
Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh (Six) - Thakwaash male from Thakwaa  
Garik "Face" Loran (Eight) - human male from Pantolomin  
Ton Phanan (Seven) - human male from Rudrig  
Falynn Sandskimmer (Three) - human female from Tatooine  
Voort "Piggy" saBinring (Twelve) - Gamorrean male from Gamorr  
Tyria Sarkin (Ten) - human female from Toprawa  
Kell Tainer (Five) - human male from Sluis Van  
Eurrsk "Grinder" Thri'ag (Four) - Bothan male from Bothawui

**Squadron Support Personnel**

Cubber Daine, mechanic - human male from Corellia  
Chunky (Tyria's R5 unit)  
Gadget (Phanan's R2 unit)  
R2-D69 "Thirteen" (Kell's R2 unit)  
R5-G8 "Gate" (Wedge's R5 unit)  
Shiner (Myn's R2 unit)  
Squeaky, quartermaster (3PO unit)  
Vape (Face's R2 unit)

**New Republic Military**

General Edor Crespin - human male from Corulag  
Chaptain Choday Hrakness - human male from Agamar  
Lieutenant Atril Tabanne - human female from Coruscant  
Dorset Konnair - human female from Coruscant  
Tetengo Noor - human male from Churba  
Pash Cracken - human male from Contruum  
Airen Cracken - human male from Contruum

**Zsinj's Forces**

Warlord Zsinj - human male from Fondor  
Admiral Apwar Trigit - human male from Coruscant  
Captain Zurel Darillian - human male from Coruscant  
Lieutenant Gara Petothel - human female from Coruscant

-000-

2am - Quarters of the Contruum Delegation, Nar Shaddaa

"There!" Fingers flew across the keyboard as the finishing touches were added to the submission for, "All done and it's only..." tired storm grey eyes looked up at the chrono on the wall and the figure at the desk groaned, "two hours before I have to get up."

With a few more taps, the essay entitled _'The Role Droids Play in Society'_ was attached to the academy application and was sent out into the aether of the holonet.

Rina Hambly, part-time short order cook and keeper of many secrets, slumped forward onto the hard surface of her desk and closed her gritty-feeling eyes. As she drifted into sleep, she hoped Daddy wouldn't be cross that she'd applied to join the military like her cousin and her uncle Airen. She was only following in her Mother's footsteps really; although the fact that mam has been involved in the conflict between the remnants of the Empire and the Rebels was relatively new information.

Life as a less-than-scrupulous diplomat's daughter hasn't always been easy, or as comfortable as it was for the moment. Rina was sure that she'd be exiled back home to Contruum when she'd put her foot down last year and got herself this honest job as a chef. Mind you, that had a high cost of its own; one that was still causing trouble for her even now.

Still; she smiled as sleep finally claimed her - sure that her mother would have been proud of her.

-000-

2:30am - Club Temptation, Nar Shaddaa

Caden Hambly was starting to sweat. He'd always had a weakness for a good high-stakes sabaac game and suddenly his winning streak had deserted him completely.

His 'sure thing' was beginning to seem anything but and as the pile of credits in front of him dwindled, Caden realised he was in a hole that even his daughter's meagre earnings wouldn't be able to get him out of. The green-skinned twi'lek in front of him grinned in a wholly disturbing way as they called the final hand.

Hambly's hand was worthless. He knew it. They knew it. As he flung the cards down onto the table, he idly wondered if even Rina back at their quarters knew it. _'Probably.' _Caden thought as the last of his credits and IOUs were scooped up by the suspiciously masterful players he suspected worked for Club Temptation to lure in innocents and fleece them of all of their hard-earned money!

If he was being truthful; he'd have to admit that nothing about his finances could be classified as 'hard-earned' - most of the time they could barely be called honest either.

"So then, same time tomorrow?" The greying human smiled and hoped it looked less than a rictus than it felt at that moment. "Give a fellow the chance to win back some of his losses yes?"

Hambly's hopes were dashed when he felt the heavy hand of one of the club's bouncers drop onto his shoulder, _'So much for diplomatic immunity then.'_ "I'm good for it I swear - I can have the money for you by the end of the week."

"See that you do. I would _hate_ for anything to happen to that lovely daughter of yours." the twi'lek bared his teeth in a clearly threatening way.

Hambly swallowed and hurried home - it was high time that he visited his brother-in-law; Rina would be glad to see her cousin after all. As he mentally planned for the quickest way off this cursed moon, Caden didn't spare a thought for the consequences of blowing off what was likely a hutt-run gang. After all; if he wasn't on Nar Shaddaa when they came to collect; what was the worst that could happen?


	2. DownTime

**DownTime - Folor Base**

"So, you're not even working behind the bar then?"

Rina shook her head miserably, knowing he'd be disappointed with her answer. "I'm quite happy in the little kitchen thank you."

Pash Cracken leaned forward on his elbows and mock-glared at her, "Well that's not really good enough is it? Dena would have a fit at the thought of our little Ree not having _any_ fun at all."

He cut her off before she could protest, "I have a deal for you cuz," Pash grinned, looking far too smug for Rina's comfort, "I want you to have made one friend, that isn't that bloody droid you work for, by the time I see you next."

Rina narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, there was always a catch to her cousin's challenges.

"If you fail in your mission though, there is a penalty." Pash wagged a teasing finger and flicked the end of her freckled nose, "if you don't have a someone to come out drinking with us; I'm going to have to out you as Cracken's niece to everyone."

Rina paled, making her freckles stand out in stark relief, "Nononono!" She shook her head furiously, feeling faint at the thought of not having her shield of anonymity to hide behind.

"Oh yes!" Pash took a sip of his drink, "Then you'll have lots of friends thanks to being famous by proxy." He ran a hand through his dark red hair, "Although I'm surprised no one's guessed already when we've been able to catch up. After all, there is a definite family resemblance."

Rina fiddled with the end of her own ponytail which shared a slightly more toned down similarity to her favourite cousin. She glanced up at the chrono on her wrist, "I'm sorry cuz, I have to start my shift in 15 minutes and Squeaky is a devil if I'm not on time now that my additions to the menu are proving so popular."

Pash smiled at his nervous little cousin, "So we have you to thank for actual edible food now? We were taking bets on whether it really was Squeaky's idea, or if it was a morale booster from the cooks in the mess."

As the short young woman stood to leave, Pash gripped her arm gently, "Hey cuz, just to let you know, Commander Antilles is recruiting for something, so there's likely to be a lot of strangers around here over the next few weeks." He whispered, "Just thought I would give you a heads up. There's challenging you to get out of your comfort zone; and then there's being evil."

Rina shut her eyes briefly, "Thanks Pash, I'm sure Squeaky won't mind if I do some overtime back in my cave."

-000-

**Club Temptation - Nar Shaddaa**

Ro'tahn Fyr, Club Temptation's best sabaac player and card sharp, was not looking forward to what lay beyond the door in front of him. He and a few of his bruisers had just returned from Hambly's quarters after the human had failed to come back with the credits he owed them.

The only things left behind were largely worthless, but Ro would sell them anyway, it'd be a shame to not let someone else's suffering help go to getting him out from under whatever gross equivalent of a thumb Hutts had.

The twi'lek jingled the credits in his pocket nervously, the Boss was never one to receive bad news graciously. He was ushered in to the opulent darkness of the hutt's chamber.

Out of habit he leered at the scantily-clad dancing girls; but his heart wasn't really in it; the fear of being thrown out a top floor window into the endless depths tended to do that to you.

"Ro'tahn Fyr. Where are my credits?"

Ro hesitated before answering the hutt, "Caden Hambly fled before we could get to him Boss. I'll get my best trackers on the case for you and get back to work on the tables to get you some new business." He said with a rush and started to edge toward the door; hoping the hutt would be sufficiently distracted by the nubile young woman wearing very little.

When his back bumped into something so wide, it could only be one of the ever-present Gamorrean guards, Ro's heart sank. The last pit boss who'd failed to show up with the day's earnings had has his lekku torn off by one of them 'as a reminder of his station'.

Ro found himself dragged back to face Votta. The hutt narrowed his reptilian eyes and growled in huttese, "Find Caden Hambly, bring back my money, or you will soon learn to fly."

The twi'lek gulped, nodded and fled as quickly as he could. '_Sithspit. How in the universe am I going to find one lowlife?'_

Ro shoved his hands back into his pockets and mooched down the stairs to the gaming floor. He tossed a credit chip to the waiter he'd trusted with the bag of crap from Hambly's rooms.

The card dealer turned unwilling bounty hunter slinked back to his own drab apartment in one of the less salubrious districts. Once safely inside and all three door locks were engaged, Ro tipped the contents of the bag onto his unmade bed.

There wasn't a lot to go on; a holo of the latest popular chick flick he assumed belonged to Hambly's daughter, a copy of the Nar Shaddaa spaceport's timetable for the next few months, and the latest issue of Hot Ships.

Ro tossed aside the holo and examined the timetable, hoping Hambly had been foolish enough to circle the flight or some details on the flimsy brochure. Nothing. "Dammit. Why'd he pick now to get smart?" Ro groused as he turned to the holomag, "At least I'll have something to read while I'm waiting to be torn limb from limb."

The twi'lek sighed and flopped face down onto the bed, bouncing _The Star-crossed Love Affaire_ onto the floor. There was a sharp crack and Ro mumbled cuss words into his pillow; he'd been hoping to flog it for a handful of credits. He let one arm dangle over the edge, long fingers searching for the holo. His questing fingers found the smashed case and something that didn't belong there.

"What the-?" Ro lifted his head and saw a scrap of crumpled flimsy poking out of the remains of the holo.

As he read the list of names hurriedly scribbled on one side of what seemed to be a handwritten menu; Ro felt a smile creeping onto his face.

It seemed that 'Caden' was now going by 'Bael'. Now it was only a matter of time before Votta got his money and Ro'tahn got to keep his most precious parts intact.

-000-

**DownTime - Folor Base**

Rina Hambly, she of the red gold hair, smoky voice, crippling social anxieties, and short order cook; was confused.

She was confused, mainly because her boss, a manumitted protocol droid named Squeaky, had just requested something odd. "I'm sorry Squeaky, I must have misheard. What did you want?"

The silver and gold toned droid made an irritated noise, a sound Rina had learned was his equivalent of a huff. "I need a bottle of your hottest liquid seasoning."

Rina turned to survey her pride and joy; a spice rack crammed with every conceivable flavouring, racial, and planetary speciality. "Dare I ask what you'll be doing with it?" Her calloused fingers flicked through the small glass bottles and vials searching for a particular ruby red oil.

As Rina picked up a flat round bottle, Squeaky muttered something. "What? You're not going to do something reprehensible are you?"

The droid took the bottle and gave Rina a stern look. "I believe two tables are waiting on their orders still Miss Hambly."

Rina shrugged and went back to the half-cooked order. She was used to her irascible employer's strange code of politeness. No doubt one of the flyboys had forgotten to say 'please' or 'thank you'. It was a shame that she'd had to sacrifice her last bottle of Corellian Fire Oil though.

Perhaps she could try one of her father's shady contacts to smuggle out some more of the restricted products...

Rina was dishing up the order for table 12 when she heard a strangled yell and breaking glass from the client side of the tapcaf. She flinched and hoped to the Force that there wouldn't be trouble.

Heavy footsteps paused at the bar and soon approached her little kitchen. They were unfamiliar and not the noisy mincing steps of Squeaky.

Rina turned; still holding the bowl of seasoned wedges in front of her like a shield. In the narrow entrance to the abandoned test shaft that had been adapted into a rough and ready kitchenette loomed two meters of Gamorrean. She took a little comfort in the fact he physically couldn't fit past the racking braced against the walls.

He cleared his throat and spoke, firstly in his natural voice; grunts and squeals unintelligible to the human ear, a few seconds later, a mechanical voice translated, "Excuse me; are you able to help? My colleague appears to be in some distress caused by accidental ingestion of something unpleasant."

"Uh." Rina managed, '_So eloquent and ladylike, Daddy would be proud!'_ Her inner voice snarked.

The Gamorrean regarded the human thoughtfully, she seemed to be suffering from some sort of social anxiety disorder. Piggy thought back to the time he'd spent on the library planet, Obra Skai, and tried to remember the research he'd read on human interactions. Generally smiling was deemed a non-threatening gesture.

Rina's hand were shaking so much that the plates she was holding started to rattle dangerously.

"Table 12 is still waiting." Squeaky stated from somewhere behind Piggy.

The Gamorrean obligingly moved out of the way for a terrified cook to dash past and thrust the plates at the droid.

Rina peeked out over the bar and caught sight of who they must be talking about. A tall pilot with a mop of light brown hair was hunched over, coughing and gagging. Even through the dim ambience of DownTime, Rina could see that the portion of the poor man's face she could see was bright red.

"Oh my goodness Squeaky, how much did you put in his drink?"

Squeaky shrugged in the awkward way of protocol droids everywhere, "The entire bottle. Was that...wrong?"

"Stars above, you could have killed him!" Rina darted back into the kitchenette and started rummaging through the chiller unit. After a few moments she found what she was looking for.

The young cook returned to the Gamorrean with a large bottle of pale blue liquid and a bowl of ice chips. "Tell him to drink the milk as slowly as possible; it should stop the burning and the gag reflex. The ice is to help cool him down after."

She placed the items on the bar and shuffled back into her lair to prepare for the next orders scrolling across her datapad's screen.

"Honestly. Some people really should learn to handle their drinks." Squeaky groused from behind the bar.

Rina shook her head fondly and the droid's odd ideas. Hopefully the rest of the week wouldn't be quite so...exciting.

She flinched when Squeaky appeared at her elbow with a lomin ale on a tray along with a note scribbled on a napkin. "I owe you at least one - TP"

As she read the note, Rina was completely oblivious to the small smile that had crept onto her face.


	3. Try not to faint

**To: Ginger-ace  
From: LadyWallflower  
Subject: RE: 'sup cuz?**

Wow. Sorry that it's taken a few days to reply, but I had to get Squeaky to take me to the infirmary for shock that you actually wrote to me first! ;)

You weren't kidding when you said there'd be a lot of strange folks about either; I swear your Commander only looks to recruit the odd ones (although that definitely worked in your favour!)

As for the burning question about how my 'mission' is going, I have some really great excuses:

Father called - mine, not yours - we argued again, _but_ I'm not backing down on this one (for once). I'll tell you all about his plan for my future husband when you next call.

Also; it appears that my dark and dismal DownTime hideout has become _the_ place for the new recruits to hang out between training exercises. They've been ordering so much food Squeaky has been in raptures about the balance sheets and even threatened to pay me overtime!

I also wanted to wait a bit longer to make a proper start as I'd hate to go to all that work to come out of my shell to find they'd been washed out (if you let me have that as an excuse, I'd appreciate if cuz.)

As always, stay safe out there.

Love,

Your non-com cousin, Rina


	4. Face your fears

Face rapped on the door of the head chef's tiny office, "Garik Loran reporting for tuber duty!"  
He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a groan from inside, moments before the metal door swung open.  
The pilot was forced to take a step back as the grumpy chef stepped out, glaring at him.  
"Nope."  
The scarred pilot was nonplussed for a moment, he knew he'd been given kitchen duties as punishment for one of the many amusing misdemeanours he'd actually been caught for. Commander Antilles had been sure to remind him of it during the roster meeting that morning.  
He still felt a warm glow to know that he was now in one of the legendary Wedge Antilles' fighter units.  
The cook poked him in the chest with a meaty finger, rumpling the pilot's jumpsuit. "I ain't having you back here sending all my girls into a tizzy again. You might be fit to peel tubers according to your boss, but _I_ make the rules down here."  
"But-"  
The cook carried on jabbing Garik and forcing him to retreat through Folor Base's kitchen until they were back out in the tunnel corridor.  
"I get that you're being punished; but so is everyone else when their grub is late or burned cus of starstruck cooks." The squat head chef paused for a moment and then smiled. Face felt a faint prickle of unease; that was not a friendly kind of smile.  
"But I _do_ know somewhere you can go to instead. Somewhere that is always in need of a helping hand." The head chef half-dragged the taller man down a handful of corridors until Face recognised where they were going, "Oh no."

The piebald protocol droid seemed to give Face a flat stare as head chef Cribbens explained the situation. The former actor had to suppress a shudder; he still had vivid memories of the first time he and Ton (now his official wingman); had met this particular tyrant of DownTime.

They had joined the other hopefuls who had finished Jansen's bait and switch mission sim at a long table to one side of the dim tapcaf. He vividly remembered the events of what happened shortly after and shuddered.

Cribbens jabbed Face in the ribs with his elbow; jarring him out of his horrified reverie.

Squeaky nodded once, "Very well. Come with me flight officer Loran; I am sure there is something suitable my own chef can find for you to do."  
Face hadn't really even noticed that there was a kitchen hidden behind DownTime's bar.  
As they rounded the corner into what had once been what looked like an abandoned test shaft, Loran was stunned to see an actual person in the jury-rigged kitchen that was little more than a large oven and several racks of shelves.  
She was on the short side of average, Face thought she'd maybe be shoulder-height to him if she stood on tiptoes. Her hair was a warm brown, with reddish highlights and had been ruthlessly pulled back and twisted into a military style bun.  
Squeaky's chef had her back to them and was completely absorbed in her task of inspecting a sack of a root vegetable Face didn't recognise. Her distraction gave him a chance to appreciate his punishment anew.  
She was definitely easier on the eye than Cribbens, at least from behind. He tore his eyes from his own inspection as He realised Squeaky was introducing him.

Rina had heard someone speaking to Squeaky out in the bar, but quickly tuned it out. DownTime wasn't officially open yet, but she knew the off duty men and women of Folor Base liked to claim their usual tables early.  
The news that Commander Antilles had officially named the pilots in his new unit, Grey Squadron according to Folor scuttlebutt, had filled her with a vague dread.  
Having an official end to the shifting masses on base meant that she no longer had an excuse to not start trying to not be such an anxious shut in.  
She sighed, she liked being anti-social now; the idea of mixing with the great unknown terrified her. She hadn't always been quite so neurotic, she mused as she ripped open one of the sacks of supplies. It had been different before her mother had been killed and Rina had had to pick up the pieces of her father.  
After Lyssa had died, there had been no more parties at the Cracken's; no more evenings spent playing by the creek with her cousins Pash and his sister Dena; no more lazy days spent learning how to play the traditional folk songs of home.  
For the longest time; it had just been her and her father, and whatever damn alcohol he could get his hands on. It had cost him his career as a pilot; but Uncle Airen had scooped them up when he defected from the Imperials to the Rebellion.  
Now Daddy was a diplomat of all things, and Rina made her own way as best she could at whichever military base was closest to her father: just to keep an eye on him of course. Not because she knew if he couldn't check on her several times a week, that there'd be hell to pay. Nope. Not a bit.

Rina shook her head to clear her thoughts; she had far too much to do to prep for the evening rush.  
She vaguely registered Squeaky's distinctive metallic footsteps but still flinched when he spoke.  
"Miss Hambly, do you recall requesting aid a while back?"  
Rina rolled her eyes, of course she did. She'd been asking for help with prep for weeks since word got around that DownTime had started serving edible food.  
"Yes Squeaky, I do-" the young woman replied as she turned to face the droid. Whatever she was going to say was lost as she froze.  
Face saw myriad emotions flicker across her increasingly pale face before it settled on one he wasn't used to seeing from his fellow rebels - pure and unadulterated terror.  
The protocol droid continued regardless, either ignoring, or unaware of her reaction. "Well here is flight officer Loran. He is most likely only suitable for menial labour, or retrieving items from high shelves."  
Face wasn't sure if the blasted droid was mocking him or not, but shrugged in what he was sure was a non-threatening way.  
"Please make use of him for the few hours we have him for."  
The droid turned and minced back toward the bar, leaving the incredibly awkward tableau without a second thought.  
'_Nononononononono'_ Rina trembled, '_stranger in the kitchen. Unsupervised! You have a stranger in your goddamn kitchen Rina!'_  
The irrational urge to flee was quickly quashed by the simple fact she'd have to run past him to get out.  
'_Kriff_!' She swore in her head as she realised she hadn't brought her personal music cube or headphones. She'd gotten complacent, confident that Squeaky would never let anyone else disturb their carefully ordered sanctum of routine. Clearly she was wrong.  
"Are you okay?"  
Rina flinched, whilst she'd been panicking, the intruder had clearly been trying to get her attention for a while. "Sithspit; don't sneak up on a body you wee tinker!" Rina snapped before she thought it through.  
Face couldn't help himself, he laughed.

The tiny woman had seemed so angry and delightfully ruffled and then that adorable curse had come past those rosy lips. She had a definite accent to her Basic, and there was a lilt to it that reminded him a little of Wedge Antilles' own inflection, but it wasn't quite Corellian either.  
She frowned and shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, clearly stressed.  
"Here." She groped for the bag she'd just opened, "wash and peel these over by the sink." Rina didn't dare open her eyes as his hands covered her own. "Please!"  
She wasn't sure what she was thinking, but Rina jerked away and turned her back on Loran's retreating figure.  
_'Just get through service and then you can hide in your bunk forever.' _Rina's hands gradually stopped shaking as she distracted herself with what needed to be done to get the orders scrolling across the datapad's screen out as soon as possible.  
The routine of cooking soothed her enough for Rina to ponder her erstwhile sous-chef. There was something compellingly familiar about him. She knew he was one of the newbies, which ruled him out as one of Pash's friends. He was a pilot, so not one of the other non-combatants she was slightly better at recognising.  
Rina hummed a few bars of one of the folk songs of her home as she twirled a razor-sharp knife easily in nimble fingers. Tonight was the night she was trying out a slightly more adventurous dessert and she decided to thinly slice the spicy fruit topping, rather than grating it as per the recipe.  
She had almost forgotten that she had a helper when he appeared in her peripheral vision carrying the huge pot of tubers.  
Rina yelped and the knife slipped, slicing a deep gash across her right hand palm and fingers.  
Face swore and grabbed the rag that hung from Rina's back pocket, winding it tightly around her hand, "Come on, let's get you to the medbay and get that seen to." His voice was worried, he hadn't really meant to scare her that badly, just ruffle her composure a little bit.

Rina's head swam at the thought of walking through the tapcaf and clear across the base to the infirmary. "Uh uh, I'm fine. I-" she swayed and blinked away grey darting spots in her vision, "It doesn't even hurt yet. I'll go later when it's quiet." She swayed a little and Face wrapped his arms around her shoulders to steady her, the little cuss was genuinely scared.

Force knew how she'd gotten a job with a group of notoriously contrary and rowdy individuals who weren't known for being shy and retiring.  
"Look, you're in need of medical attention." He stared down at her sternly when she started to protest. "I just want you to sit down before you fall down." Face picked her up and sat her on the durasteel countertop. The girl seemed torn between arguing with him or fainting.  
At least she was too angry to be scared any more. Face kept one hand on her shoulder and pulled his commlink out of his jumpsuit's pocket with the other. "I think we are well past the point of being on first name basis. My name is Garik Loran, and you are..."

"Rina."

Face unleashed his trademark smile, the one that had gotten him banned from the main kitchens.  
Rina muttered something inaudibly as Face spoke into his commlink, "Hey Ton, I need you to leave that poor girl alone and bring your medkit to DownTime now. There's a bit of an emergency that requires your unique skills.

Rina was forced to admit that her hand _was_ starting to hurt now that the adrenaline was wearing off. She slumped against Face's support, "I bet this isn't how you imagined your evening going.

Face chuckled and stepped closer, Rina was feeling too dizzy to fret overmuch. "If you like; I can show you a few things that can help with nerves.

Rina blinked up at him, confusion and apprehension in her muddy green eyes.

Face lowered his voice to a whisper, "Believe it or not, I used to suffer from stage fright when I first started acting for the holos.

"Mmm." Rina nodded and didn't shift from her place resting in the crook of his arm. "Why?

"Because you should be able to feel safe here."

Rina sighed; but could see the benefit of his offer. If she was slightly less neurotic, it would probably be easier to win Pash's challenge.

Face's commlink beeped and he spoke a few words into it before another, taller man came into the increasingly cramped space

"You had better have a damn good reason for calling me down here Face." He groused as he dumped what Rina presumed was the infamous medical kit, onto one of the shelves of racking, "I was busy charming the lovely Tyria and I am still on Squeaky's hit list from the first day of training.

Rina peered around Face's shoulder, "Oh Force, that was you!?" Her eyes danced with remembered mischief, "I did wonder why Squeaky needed my bottle of Corellian Fire oil.

The tall pilot was dressed in civvies, rather than the ubiquitous orange jumpsuits and Rina realised she must be dizzy from blood loss as that could be the only reason she couldn't look away.

He was taller than Garik, and thinner. He had a prosthetic shell and red lit optic across the top left half of his face, somewhat softened by a soft fall of brown hair.

Rina found herself captivated by his remaining blue eye. It was the same cold blue as the pilot light on her ovens.

She blushed as he bumped Face out of the way, "Now then. Tell Dr Phanan all about what this terrible man has done to you."  
Face quirked an eyebrow, "Why are you never that nice to us?"

Phanan's clipped tones held a hint of amusement, "Because I'm just your medic and you've usually done something to deserve your punishment. Besides; you aren't half as pretty."

Rina whimpered, of course her sanctum couldn't have been invaded by accountants instead she had not one, but two, ego-powered fighter jockeys crammed in the narrow cubby.

The newcomer tilted his head, he had only just reached for her hand and she'd tensed up like he was about to stab her.  
"I'm fine, I've had worse accidents" she protested as he gently unwrapped the sodden rag. "Just give me some painkillers and a bandage; I need to get on with dinner."

"Nonsense! I can follow a recipe just as well as anyone." Face squeezed past and started rolling up his sleeves. "Okay. What are we serving tonight?"

Rina hissed through her teeth, partly in pain as Ton examined her cut; but mostly in frustration as they both ignored her protests. At least that answered her question about whether it was just Pash; or if all of those hotshots thought the universe was all about them. They were all just as bad.

"It's dishes 14 and 56 on the pad over there." Rina scowled, not quite ready to give in yet.  
"But once you finish, I'll get straight on it right?" Rina peeked up at the stern medic through her red-gold bangs.

"Only if you want to lose the use of your fingers on this hand. You were lucky only to graze the tendons. What were you using?" Ton packed the wound with care before wrapping it in a tight bandage.  
"Just one of my cooking knives."

Ton pulled off his gloves and loomed over her, leaning his head down until they were nose to nose.  
A scream died in her throat as he whispered in her ear, "Have you been getting help? I bet you haven't been to talk to anyone have you?" His voice was low and strangely soothing.

Rina cradled her hand against her chest, and shook her head. "I manage fine usually; but Squeaky changed the routine by letting some pilot come in and his friend who thinks he knows what's wrong with me."

Ton chuckled, "So there is some fight left in you then."

"Phanan! Stop tormenting sweet Rina and come be a proper wingman and help me out here!"

Ton waved a finger at her, "Don't you dare move until one of us takes you back to your quarters. Those painkillers will knock you right over."

Rina gave in, shut her eyes and let the music of home flow through her mind. She could worry about service; about her father's demands; about the scolding Squeaky would be sure to give her; about whether her hand would heal properly later. Now she needed to trust that they wouldn't burn down her kitchen.

Ton kept a careful watch on the girl; she was certainly an interesting find back here in the depths of DownTime. He guessed Squeaky was responsible for her employment; someone with such an obvious issue with self-confidence and a few other quirks (he was sure there were more neuroses hidden away); would have struggled to pass the psych evaluation stages of recruitment.

He stood next to Face, uncomfortably squashed in the tiny space, and took over the preparation. He had more practice with blades after all and years of surgery had honed his skills far more than Face's acting classes could have.

Besides, his young friend was much better suited to menial labour, Force knew he didn't have the patience for idiots who couldn't make up their minds on which of the three bar snacks to choose.

Face grabbed the next two plates and waltzed out of the kitchen, casting a quick concerned look at Rina as he passed.

After he had gone; Rina opened her eyes. '_Damn, Phanan was right.'_ Her head felt strangely light; whatever those painkillers had been, they hit like an angry wookiee.

She tried to focus and say thank you; but she couldn't seem to feel her face anymore.

Her eyes drifted shut again and she jumped when someone gently shook her shoulder.

"Wakey wakey! We're done!" Face grinned at the adorably confused look on her face. "Squeaky is closing up shop for the night so we need to get you into bed young lady."

Rina blushed at the innuendo and the wink the pilot sent her way. _'I must have been a terrible person in another life to have deserved this punishment_.'

"I think we should be offended by that don't you Phanan?" Face said with a smirk

Rina let her head fall back against the shelf with a thunk. Clearly the drugs had destroyed her usual filters. Hurrah.

"I think we should be, but I'll forgive you this time." Ton shoved Face's head out of the way, "After all, I think you're the one I owe for saving me after Squeaky's Vengeance."

Rina put her hands down on the worktop, ready to push herself up; forgetting about her injury. She cried out and toppled sideways off the bench.

A pair of strong hands grabbed her and prevented a sudden meeting with the floor. Rina shut her eyes, mortified and incredibly disoriented.

She vaguely heard a murmured conversation, but couldn't pick up any of the details. She was too distracted by the surprisingly bright redness soaking through the bandages.

Ton tutted and turned to Face, "Look, I need to get her somewhere I can fix her hand properly. Do you mind asking Squeaky where her bunk is?"

"Sure."

"Honestly woman, you are hopeless." Rina felt cool fingers on her forehead. "Although I have to admire someone who has such a well-balanced set of scalpels."

"Filleting knives." She corrected.

"Pfft! Same difference."

Rina shut her eyes again. When she opened them again; they'd somehow arrived at her little cubby hole she had been given. Her status as a diplomat's daughter and non-military status meant she didn't have to share the small space.

Ton steered her to the neatly-made bunk and helped her sit.

"What?" She mumbled, just wanting to sleep.

"I said, this will hurt. I need to clean it properly and ideally send you to the infirmary." The medic regarded her injury, it was already much better thanks to the bacta-laced dressing. "I know you wouldn't stay there though even if I dragged you there so I won't bother."

Rina hissed as the antiseptic solution burned and bit back some choice phrases she'd picked up in a Nar Shaddaa back alley.

"Now don't get this dressing wet for the next couple of days and take it easy with those knives of yours." Ton smirked and repacked his medical kit. He stood and walked to the door.

"By the way; you owe me free dessert for a week for interrupting my wooing earlier." He grinned at her outraged expression, "Don't worry; Face will owe me even more."

Phanan tipped an imaginary hat and walked out.

Rina growled and resolved vengeance on the pair of them. She yawned and lay down.

Revenge could wait until tomorrow.


	5. An unscheduled stop

**Folor Base**

Rina, arms loaded down with belongings, skidded to a halt next to Squeaky.

A human male in a grease stained orange jumpsuit stood at the bottom of the ramp of the last shuttle in the hangar, "Here, I've got it." He plucked the largest bags from her arms and ushered them up the boarding ramp.

Rina skittered up after him, heart pounding wildly, she'd never really thought she'd have to evacuate for real.

"Better strap yourselves in; this could get fruity."

The ramp whined as it closed and Rina scrambled into the seat beside the pilot. This was far closer to actual combat than she was comfortable with; but this was far better than being crammed onto one of the other transports with hundreds of other evacuees. In theory at least.

As the shuttle's engines whined more loudly, Rina allowed herself a moment to grieve for the pieces of home that she'd had to leave behind; a few pictures of her family, a handful of music recordings; but worst was her string drum. There just hadn't been room for the instrument and she just had to hope they could go back one day soon.

After all she'd only been officially made owner of DownTime for a day and she had come round to the idea of being in charge of herself for once.

Her fingers dug into the seat's armrests as they sped down the tunnel that would lead them to safety. "So it seems that the other transports got away okay."

The man, Rina guessed mechanic judging by the myriad grease stains on his jumpsuit, said "I know the Borleias was having difficulties with her engines; wouldn't have happened if she were my ship let me tell you!"

'_Definitely a mechanic then.'_ She thought.

The Lambda class shuttle turned away from the direction Rina saw the other transports heading in, Squeaky leaned forward and explained, "Miss Hambly, as quartermaster for Wraith Squadron, it was my duty to ensure efficiency; so I have to be with them at their next destination."

Understanding dawned coldly on Rina, "And that's not where everyone else is going."

She silently cursed her impulse to help her metal friend. When the alert had come; Rina had been going over the minutiae of running DownTime with Squeaky and Rina had instinctively helped him raid the lockers of his squadron's pilots.

Of course, that meant she'd only had time to grab her own bug out bag from the kitchen, which luckily included her music recordings; the one thing she believed kept her sane.

Rina sighed, although she was thrilled to be alive and not stuffed into one of the transports, she was now effectively trapped with an entire squadron of fighter jockeys on a course to Force knew where.

"Name's Cubber by the way," he glanced over and smiled, "Cubber Daine; chief mechanic for those lunatics for my sins."

"Rina Hambly. I _was_ a cook for DownTime and for about ten standard hours it's new owner. Now?" She shrugged, "not so sure."

Cubber grinned and patted the belly that strained against his oil and grease stained jumpsuit, "Well I'm sure we would appreciate a good meal before we get you back to where you need to go."

Rina smiled wanly, she hated not having one of her many routines to fall back on in case of emergency.

"All Wraiths back safe and sound." Wes Janson's voice crackled over the radio.

"Who's piloting the Narra?"

That was another male pilot, Rina wasn't 100% sure; but thought it could have been the big human, Kell Tanner? Tainer? Something beginning with a T anyway.

"It's Cubber, Five. I have Squeaky and a cook Hambly here too."

"Be advised Wraiths, instead of hopping on the first transport off this rock, Squeaky stayed behind to raid your quarters and lockers bagging anything of personal value and it's all aboard the Narra."

Over the cheers and whistles Squeaky responded with his usual brand of curtness, "It was a matter of enlightened self-interest I assure you. I am far too busy to attend to requests for replacements."

Rina tried to identify which X-wings she thought Face and Ton were in; Face had stayed true to his promise to show her a few tricks and whenever his wingman wasn't trying to get into the blonde pilot, Tyria's pants, he'd sometimes chime in with a sarcastic comment or two. It was definitely working; after all, she'd managed to carry out a conversation with Cubber!

The Narra's comm beeped as they where hailed on a private channel; Wedge's tone was curious, "So who else do we have on board?"

Rina blushed and cleared her throat, "Um. Rina Hambly sir. I was helping Squeaky."

There was a pause, "Hambly; as in diplomat Armitage Hambly?" Rina nodded.

"He can't hear a nod kid."

"Oh. Yessir. He's my father sir." Rina blushed in embarrassment.

"Well I want to thank you on behalf of the rest of the Wraiths. We will be meeting up with the other transports at Doldrums, so you'll be able to get back soon enough."

The starfield in front of the transparasteel viewport jerked and blurred as the stars elongated into hyperspace.

Cubber undid the pilot's harness and pushed the chair back. "Well Hambly, do you mind helping me stow those reprobate's bags away? We have a few hours til we get to where we're going."

Rina's fingers fumbled on her own buckles and she stumbled behind on wobbly legs. She had always suffered from hyperspace vertigo, which was why she never followed her family's footsteps by becoming a pilot.

"And that's when the poor man swallowed the whole thing!"

Cubber roared with laughter at Rina's retelling of Ton's punishment at the metallic hands of Squeaky. The droid made an annoyed noise, "Well I wouldn't have had to stoop to such levels had the wretched creature been civilised in the first instance."

Rina smiled fondly at the cantankerous droid; she was quite fond of the prim and proper Squeaky. He didn't think she was stranger than any of the other inefficient flesh creatures he was forced to deal with on a daily basis. For that, she was grateful.

The trip to Doldrums was due to take 3 jumps and Cubber frowned as the Narra suddenly dropped out of hyperspace. "It's too soon!" was all he managed to get out before all of the electronics on the Narra went dead.

Rina picked herself up from where she'd been thrown to the floor when the Narra had shuddered to an unexpected stop. "Squeaky!" The droid's photoreceptors were dark and he wasn't responding. Rina pressed her ear to the droid's torso cowling, but she couldn't hear the familiar whine of servo motors, and Squeaky telling her it was pointless trying to give him hugs.

Cubber swore and wormed under the console, "Even life support's down. Rina, can you check if any of the others dropped out too; or if it was just us."

She left Squeaky's side reluctantly and hurried back to the main transparasteel viewport, she cupped her hands around her face to cut out the minimal glare of Cubber's glow rods and let out a happy noise of relief. "It looks like we're all in trouble together Mr Daine." All of the fighters were drifting, powerless. "It looks as though some of them are getting there through; some of the astromechs are still running external lights."

Cubber grunted, "i think a manual restart should get us up and running again." He pushed a panel back into place and the Narra's power flickered back to life. Squeaky's servos ground together as it seemed he was going through his own manual restart.

Rina sighed on relief and touched the headphones clipped to the belt of her cargo pants. Thankfully they hadn't been damaged, but she slipped them on to test if they were still functional as Cubber checked in on the radio. The tension eased from her shoulders as the familiar melody of Tatooine blues drifted out of the earbuds.

She honestly had no idea what she would have done if she hadn't been able to use her music to stop the panic attack that she had felt looming when Cubber had told her the life support was down. A meaty hand shook her shoulder slightly and she shrieked.

It was just Cubber, he'd changed into a vacuum suit and was holding a toolbox. "Just going outside to help the others get sorted."

He cocked his head, "You sure you're alright? I swear you didn't even notice when we dragged some of the fighters down planet side." Rina blushed, '_How long was I gone for this time?'_

Her doctor; her actual doctor, not Ton, had said that some stressful situations could induce fugue states where hours could pass and she wouldn't even realise; but if she kept up with her coping strategies, she should be fine.

Cubber ruffled her hair and stepped into the airlock; chuckling quietly to himself.

Rina slumped down in the pilot's chair and sighed in relief. It wasn't much, but a few moments of quiet (if she ignored the radio chatter) could be enough to stop her hands shaking.

She heard the airlock hiss again, and she turned, expecting to see Cubber returning for something else to do whatever it was he and Tanner had been doing to get most of the X-Wings back up and running.

Instead, Ton stumbled through into the main cabin area. Rina smiled in surprise and a little concern; she hadn't even considered that whatever had temporarily killed everything electronic might have also affected Ton's prosthetics.

The thirty two year old pilot dropped gracelessly into one of the uncomfortable bench seats and let his head fall back with a thunk as it bounced off the metal wall. He grunted and closed his eye, lines of pain grooved deeply on his face.

Squeaky looked at Rina with that odd flat look that she had mentally categorised as 'quizzical' as she stood and retrieved a small box from one of the storage compartments.

Rina pointed at the white lettering on the box, 'Emergency Medkit', and then pointed to her acquaintance who hadn't seemed to notice he hadn't manage to bandage all of his injuries.

Squeaky favoured her with another inscrutable stare. Clearly he still hadn't forgiven the sarcastic pilot for his faux pas all that time ago.

"Ton?" Rina laid the small box on the bench and clicked it open, before rummaging for something she could use that didn't contain bacta. He didn't lift his head or open his eye, but Rina knew he was listening. "Are you alright? What happened to your X-Wing? Is it okay?"

Ton smiled crookedly, "Yes, well mostly. It died. And no it's most definitely not okay." He hissed through his teeth as Rina dabbed at the cut just below his hairline.

"Don't be such a baby." She taped on a gauze dressing and snapped the medkit's lid shut, "I guess doctors really are the worst patients."

"Ex-doctor."

"Whatever you say then Mr I'm not a doctor, I'm a 'medic'." Rina playfully bumped his shoulder with her own. _That_ prompted Ton to open his eye and look down at her.

"Fine!" He quirked an eyebrow and sat up, "I had some issues with the cybernetics, and something weird still happens if I get too close to a working datapad; but I'm just too tired to be able to concentrate right now."

Rina patted his knee and stood, ready to return to her seat up front.

"Thank you."

Rina smiled, "It was nae problem, we're even on the bandaging front now anyway."

Rina flinched as soon as she realised that she'd let slip a bit of her natural accent, but before she could decipher whether or not Ton had decided to tease her for it; the comms crackled and a tinny voice came through. After the Wraiths had finished outlining what sounded like certain suicide; Rina turned to look at Squeaky. "Squeaky?"

"Yes Miss Hambly?"

"Did you just hear that?"

"Yes Miss Hambly."

Somehow the plan now was to fit Phanan's mech to a smuggling compartment that was hidden somewhere in the Narra; arm it with a chopped down laser cannon; stuff Piggy (the exceedingly polite Gamorrean pilot) into it; shove this...contraption out into space and board whatever ship was on its way to capture them.

"They're insane aren't they."

"Yes Miss Hambly."

"Shut up Phanan."

"Yes Miss-ouch!"


	6. The Lunatic

"You have to be kidding me."

Rina stared at the tiny airlock space that they expected her, Ton, and Squeaky to fit into whilst Kell and Cubber completed work on the newly-dubbed Lunatic.

Ton had already claimed a spot and was smirking at her. Rina glared and reluctantly stepped inside as well, "You could at least pretend not to be enjoying this."

She leaned against the opposite wall, ensuring that there was as much space between them as possible and shut her eyes before asking, "How long do you think they'll take?"

Whatever smartarse answer Ton had ready was lost as Squeaky was shoved in now that Kell and Cubber were ready to start. Rina dodged out of the way of one flailing metal arm and found herself wedged between a droid and a pilot.

'_Force! Why do you hate me so? What did I do to deserve this?'_

Although both Ton and Squeaky were built on the thin side of average, the airlock wasn't really built to accommodate that many people.

"Squeaky! For Force's sake stop fidgeting!" Rina snapped as the droid's latest manoeuvre resulted in her having to cling onto Phanan's side or be knocked over. '_This is so kriffing embarrassing...'_

The gold and silver droid muttered to itself but thankfully stopped moving. Rina sighed and began to think of things to distract herself with; other than the sad fact that this was probably the closest she'd get to hugging anyone that wasn't her cousin, uncle, or a irascible protocol droid of course.

She'd gotten halfway through planning next week's menu when she realised what a pointless exercise this was; it was highly likely that DownTime had been bombed out of existence along with Folor base.

"So..." Rina looked up when Ton started to speak. "Come here often?"

The sheer absurdity of her situation hit home, and she laughed, "Oh aye, this is my favourite destination for being lost on space. With no clue of who pulled us out of hyperspace, no way to plot a course home, and being stuffed into an airlock with two strange men."

Ton's mouth quirked into a smile that didn't entirely mask the pain that still lingered. "Well as long as I'm your first choice for all of your airlock filling needs, I guess that's acceptable."

"Idiot." Rina mock scowled, and prodded the pilot in the stomach. Her smiled faded and she sighed again. "How much longer are they going to take?"

Ton peered over her shoulder; trying to see past Squeaky to judge how close to finished the Lunatic was. "Not sure. If I didn't know better; I'd be insulted that you didn't want to be trapped in here with me!"

Rina rolled her eyes, comfortable enough with Phanan's snarky sense of humour to not be intimidated. "What woman in her right mind could resist?" She almost missed the sadness that flitted across his face, a moment that was banished almost instantly. "Sorry."

"What for?" Rina was surprised that the pilot's question had sounded genuine. Perhaps she'd misread his expression and he was just still hurting from the explosion and subsequent malfunction of his prosthetics.

"Um-" she wasn't entirely sure what to say. She wasn't entirely sure what strange impulse had prompted her to apologise in the first place. There was just a...lost quality that she found intriguing.

Rina decided a quick change of topic would be best, something topical that hopefully strayed far for the dangerous others they'd started down. She didn't open up to anyone that wasn't Pash. She had learnt that lesson the hard way.

"How's your head?" She finally blurted, _'Really Ree; that's the best you come up with - asking about his possible concussion?' _She mentally scolded herself.

Thankfully she was spared the embarrassing agony of trying to keep the small talk going as the airlock whooshed open and she shot out into the cabin like a human missile.

As the Wraiths explained the plan to Piggy; Rina did her best to stay out of the way of the huge green-skinned Gamorrean. She sighed and kept her eyes away from the viewports. There was too much black out there for her to feel comfortable; she most definitely preferred the feel of something solid beneath her feet.

Rina gasped when someone touched her shoulder. It was Ton, not looking at all sorry for startling her.

"Time to go."

Rina blinked. "Go where?"

He gestured to the area where Piggy was squeezing himself into the jury-rigged craft that had 'Lunatic' sprayed on the side with the obnoxiously orange paint from Cubber's toolbox.

"Wonderful. Back in the airlock again." Rina sighed and followed Ton into the tiny space.


	7. Nightcaller

When the Narra's boarding ramp finished whirring down to the hangar bay floor of the newly-captured Nightcaller, Rina had to force herself not to sprint from the shuttle.  
It had been freezing down on the cold and windy moon the rest of the Wraiths had had to hide on whilst the '_plan_' was being implemented. She shivered again, seeing Falynn Sandskimmer; a taciturn and grumpy young woman from Tatooine; somewhat cheerfully sweeping up the ash and bits of clothing that were all that remained of the Nightcaller's previous captain.  
As soon as Rina disembarked, the Narra's boarding ramp began to rise again, ready for Cubber to squirrel it away.  
Squeaky had already left her; hellbent on assessing whatever inventory the Imps had had on board.  
Phanan and the bothan, Grinder, had retired to the little infirmary to try and fix Phanan's cybernetics that were still malfunctioning.  
The other pilots were occupied with scouring the ship for any hidden Imps and guarding the existing prisoners.  
Rina had been forgotten.  
Left to her own devices, Rina found herself wandering the suddenly deserted corridors until she found the small galley.  
It really did seem like the Wraiths had caught the crew of the Nightcaller off guard - it appeared that the galley crew had been in the middle of preparing dinner.  
Now _this_ was something she could deal with. Rina dropped her duffel bag and nudged it under one of the metal counters with the toe of her scuffed combat boot.  
Rina pushed up her sleeves and extracted her personal datapad from one of the myriad pockets of her olive green combat trousers.  
She sniffed the contents of the pot and gagged; you could tart up those horrible rations from Binring Biomed all you wanted; but you couldn't get rid of that artificial nutrient paste aroma.  
Of course, these galley hands were clearly inferior cooks. Spotting a power socket, she plugged in her music cube and selected the 'random' function.  
As the music quietly filled the galley, Rina felt the tension ease out of her shoulders.  
A quick rummage in one of her duffel's pouches yielded a small pot of her mother's secret spice mix, 'There; that should be edible now.' Rina stirred the spicy and sweet mixture into the slop her predecessor had started, clipped the lid onto the huge tureen and set it aside onto the warming plate until needed.  
"Bugger, I hoped that would take longer." Rina washed her hands and scrutinised the surprisingly luxurious galley. "I suppose I could take inventory whilst I'm here. Save Squeaky the trouble." The redhead pulled out her personal datapad and stubbornly ignored the little voice in the back of her head that was fretting about the argument she'd had with her father that morning.

Twenty minutes later Rina was furious. Her opinion of the previous occupants was that they had clearly the sense of hygiene of a Kowakian monkey lizard and standards of a Hutt.  
"Sloppy." Mislabelled boxes of rations and ingredients.  
"Disgusting." Improperly washed utensils and surfaces.  
"Ooh. Just what I was looking for." Amongst the crappy supplies in the walk in refrigerator nestled the ingredients for her favourite pastries.  
"It'd be a shame to waste the cream." Rina grinned happily and set to work.

-000-

Wedge Antilles, still feeling far older than his years thanks to the latest crazy plan from the Wraiths, stopped short of the galley.  
Wes Janson, his second in command, had to quickly sidestep to avoid crashing into the Corellian.  
The baby-faced Wes peered around Wedge's shoulder to see a guilty-looking Face hovering beside the door, Ton beside him; thankfully back to normal.  
"Oh, Commander." Both men snapped to attention and Wedge quirked an eyebrow at their uncharacteristic military bearing. Face shot an uneasy look at the door; "I wouldn't-"  
"Don't touch the radio-"

-000-

The door behind her hissed open for what must have been the tenth time since the boys had discovered her hidey hole.  
Rina ground her teeth together, Force knew she had a long fuse, but being begged for scraps for an hour, whilst trying to get the cream to whip properly by hand (there was no way she was going to use the current mixer until it had been thoroughly sanitised, or possibly jettisoned into space), had pushed her to her limit.  
Putting the hand whisk down for a moment, Rina dipped her fingers into the soft peaks, spun, and threw the glob of flavoured confectionary at Face.  
"I hope you enjoyed that you pest. I said dinner would be ready quicker if you left me...alone...well shit."  
Rina paled and saluted, not noticing the traces of cream she left on her own face.  
Wes Janson, trying very hard to suppress a grin, reached out a finger and swiped it through the white substance on Wedge's cheek. "Mmm, vanilla."  
'_Shitshitshitshitshit_.'  
Wedge cleared his throat and Rina had to resist the urge to barricade herself in the freezer for the rest of forever.  
"I am so, so sorry. I heard Face's voice outside and I-"  
Wedge held up a hand, temporarily halting Rina's panic babble. "I understand the violent urges those two can inspire; but in future, perhaps check before you start throwing things."  
Rina winced, "Please don't be cross at them, they're just wee boys wanting to steal dessert before dinner."  
'_What are you doing Ree?' _Her inner voice screamed at her, '_shut up shut up shut up; that's the man that holds your actual life in his cream covered hands!'_  
Wedge allowed a small smile to creep onto his face; the unfortunate girl had been involved with this madness completely by accident, and Wes had confirmed that she'd never been in a proper military environment before.  
She looked so horrified, he was sure she was going to faint.  
"I was actually looking for Squeaky to discuss provisioning; but it appears you have matters in hand Miss Hambly."  
"Well, not just in her hand, but on your-" Wes smirked and sidestepped his commanding officer's death glare, but wisely refrained from finishing his comment.  
Rina shook herself out of her panic-induced state and nodded, "Aye sir. I took the liberty of taking inventory and setting up shop here. I've sent copies to Squeaky and if I don't have any other-" she paused and cringed at the situation in front of her, "-distractions; dinner'll be ready in about a half-standard hour from now. Uh Mr Antilles, sir."  
"Good work Miss Hambly. I'll look forward to dessert." Wedge nodded and the pair of men left the galley.  
'_Sithspit. I can't believe I just survived that.'_ Rina sank back against the metal counter in relief; not noticing the whoosh of the doors opening again.  
She let the familiar strains of an old piece of harp music from one of the countless worlds she'd found herself dragged to after her father, wash over her as she tried in vain to calm her heart rate to that of a normal human being's.  
"I can't believe you threw whipped cream all over Commander Antilles." Rina yelped in surprise as Face whispered in her ear, breath warm on her cheek.  
"I can't believe you thought they were us." Face's wingman, Ton Phanan, drawled from her other side, Rina jumped and tried to retreat but bumped against the metal countertop. "We are far more handsome."  
"And modest." Face carried on his wingman's thought seamlessly.  
"And have no concept of personal space, or eating dessert after dinner." Rina grumbled, nervously fiddling with the hem of her thin shirt.  
She sighed and slanted a flat look at the pair of them, "Dinner will be ready in an hour. Now go and persecute someone else; in sure that there are some Imperials that need tormenting."


	8. Messages from the black

From: Ginger-ace To: LadyWallflower Subject: ?

Cuz! Just heard about Folor - you alright?

Pash

-000-

From: Ginger-ace

To: LadyWallflower

Subject: Hello?

Cuz, I hope that you're on one of those transports and that's the reason you haven't replied yet. Please let me know you're safe. Your dad's been hounding mine for an update. Be safe.

-000-

From: Ginger-ace

To: LadyWallflower

Subject: Rina!

Rina. Please don't be dead. Can't talk long. In a mission briefing; the usual stuff. Just remember if you are dead, I will out you as a Cracken to everyone and we'll organise a state funeral or something!

P

-000-

From: Wraith2

To: Ginger-ace

Subject: I'm still alive!

Hello, I'm the comms specialist for Wraith Squadron and I have a message for you - text only:

Jesmin agreed to send this for me in exchange for adding some MonCal delicacies on the menu next week - not gonna lie; it'll be a challenge with the swill this kitchen was stocked with but I digress. As much as it would be convenient to let Daddy think I expired; I want you to let him know I'm okay and I haven't changed my mind - answer's still 'll know what it's about.

Be happy Cuz; I'm having an adventure you'd be proud of - once it's declassified or whatever you military types call it; I promise to tell you all about it.

Any news on whether we'll ever get back to Folor? I had to leave my old faithful string drum behind and I really miss her :(

Ah well looks like I'm needed. Will check in as soon as I can. Squeaky sends his love!

Rina x

-000-

From: LadyWallflower

To: ContruumMan

Subject: No

Just in case you're worrying - I'm fine. I don't know where we're heading. And to be perfectly honest, after your childish outburst when I quite reasonably declined to marry a person I've never met just to get you out of trouble again, I think that's a good thing. Before you ask, I won't be changing my mind about this. I do love you daddy, I just wish you weren't so damned selfish. Rina

-000-

From: ContruumMan

To: LadyWallflower

Subject: RE: No

Come on baby girl. You know you're overreacting; I'm sure you'll love him when you meet him. I just want to make sure you're looked after if anything should happen to your loving papa. Your Mam would want you to be happily settled, even if she's not here any more to be with us. I tell you what; if you let me know where you'll be; I'll let him know so you two youngsters can meet up and fall in love.

Dad


End file.
